Screaming “ALLAHU AKBAR!,” Jihadi MURDERS police officer & takes his family hostage near Paris, KILLS WIFE

The Beeb seems to be toeing the same general line, in obedience to the powers that be. The NYT has made me offer after offer after offer: discounts, etc. on their e-edition, but why would I clog up my inbox with that?

I’ve thought that my spam filter had given up the ghost. Now I’ve also got an ad blocker and there’s still things that come in. I’ve tried in vain to unsubscribe from things, but to no avail. Mornings I first delete. I was warned not to try my own address.

Imagine: I had a Nigerian barrister whose clients (a childless married couple) died in the same accident and in their will asked him to give their fortune to a Christian … when I said I had to consult my pastor as to a suitable charity the Nigerian barrister disappeared … strange.

Or buried under the floors of abandoned farmhouses, when their occupants didn’t come back?

I hope they do!

From what I read in Revelation, heaven is not going to be either quiet or boring. Sounds as if we’ll all be praising and singing (even most-unmusical I) & not have time for much else …

But perhaps that tolerance won’t be necessary? If we live in that city that stands foursquare, with its streets paved in gold and it gates of pearl and in our own glorified bodies … perhaps that body will come with the ability to hold a tune?

Isn’t the mere phrase you quoted redolent of joy, exuberance, exhilaration? (Even Bible translators seem to turn into poets.)

No, I’m hoping for the glorified voice!

Then we can harmonise!

We’ll probably be able to make our our own songs.

I think so … not too sure about the tunes, though. Perhaps some can do words and some tunes?

And that being heaven, they won’t disdain my little words. They’ll be there partly because they won’t – the humility we spoke of. Wonderful thought, isn’t it?

I have a very bad habit of procrastination. Having eternity might give me the ‘No dead-line’ opportunity not to worry about working on the lyrics today … or shall I at long last be a more disciplined and an altogether better person? Somewhere there’s a niggle in the back of my mind: can we be better in heaven than we actually are on this earth?

Another C.S. Lewis reader! Was such a very good day for me when we ‘met’. You enrich me every day. My copy of Narnia is still in a box, stored somewhere. Will find the dwarves and reread a.s.a.p.

There’s a copy in this house too, but now that you mention is … cannot imagine why I don’t have it on Kobo or Kindle. Why am I so slow as regards really good things? Thank you, I’ll get hold of it!

Now where’s Dr Carl Jung today? I asked the granddaughter in this house whether there was a copy of Narnia in this house and she says, she’s doesn’t have one, but y’t’day ordered a copy from the local library. So … soon now, real soon! (Our children are grown – as a matter of fact, our grandchildren are nearly grown – I wear slacks and a top winter & summer and I hate cooking.)

Our three daughters (which includes our lovely daughter-in-law) are now also older (youngest turns 42 soon) and they have also found out the sense of flatter shoes, slacks/pants & tops and simple, everyday hairstyles. So there’s much less criticism of my men’s shirts!
Cooking is a waste of time (the children I’m with at the moment spent at least 2 hours preparing lunch for 9 of us … and there’s virtually nothing left for supper and apart from what could go into the dishwasher, there’s still mugs & other used bowls and plates in the scullery). Seems very little point to it.
House work has things I do not mind doing (washing & drying clothes is OK; so’s dishes; but dusting bookshelves …grrr … ironing … grr).
Don’t know about the senior centre, though. I like a bit of independence.

I’ve just now, between our notes, been trying to figure out what I mean by ‘independence’. I think it’s mainly in deciding for myself how to employ my leisure time. I do not want to go on a trip because ‘all the senior citizens are going’, or go see a film with a bus full of others, etc. If I want to be quiet and read, I really do want to be left in peace, so I can concentrate and do not then want something telling me it’s now my turn to have an early bath, of whatever it is they want me to do. Stubborn and recalcitrant may be the correct words.

Being regimented cannot in any way be good for a person. Where I am visiting, I am indeed a visitor, meaning no friends. I do not make friends easily or quickly, anyway. My good friend, the one who showed up and then went off to do his own thing (and we really were only friends, but we liked talking together) died last year, so, at the moment, I have my internet correspondents, of which you are the shining example. Thank you.

The additional advantage of the internet is, for me, that I like words. (I struggle a bit with ‘the ability to type’, though. I tend to go too fast and then my fingers become all entangled and I have to go back and correct errors!) yes, I agree, the written word is the essence of communication; that’s why, for so many centuries, a letter was such a wonderful gift to receive.
That letter trove (saved by Elizabeth Luz) is such a marvellous example!
Thank you for your kindness, but I have the best of the bargain!

Ahhh, once again you perfectly grasp and phrase my difficulty. I love and treasure your letters. Thank you!

We are blessed people, aren’t we? To be given a blessing like you is a blessing indeed!

Thank you. That is a compliment indeed.

In my estimation, so do you!

Is this a game? I raise you 2 deserves and 2 merits.

All in with deserves and excellence. (Family has just explained that we are not playing bridge but poker …)

Games are games and sport is sport and neither is to be taken too seriously. Beloved said I lack the ‘killer instinct’ which is why I don’t mind whether I win or lose as long as all of us enjoy the game. One morning I said to a friend, on his way to a bowls game, ‘May both teams win’ and afterwards, outside the early morning prayer, he spoke very kindly to me, to explain that my wish was actually an impossibility, because this was how it worked … I didn’t know what to say.

I watch during softball season, for youngest grandchild (nearly 12) is catcher for his team. I watch him, pray for him during the game and ask, at the end, ‘Who won?’ I love the way he sits on his haunches, holds out his right hand and takes the ball out of the air: the seemingly effortless action pleases me. Sports statistics is for a completely different kind of personality.

I like the grandson (and he seems as uninterested in the final score as I am). We also tried to play down the importance of sport & competition, also the academic kind. But we had, in our backyard, at least two or three impromptu airgun-shooting competitions and as many impromptu cricket games and as many equally impromptu cadet band practices per week of 7 days because we had 3 children, plus one who stayed with us for his entire last four high school years, the neighbours across the road had 3 and diagonally across there were 2 more children. So we had very high noise levels!

The library was a firm favourite: and when our Toyota combi pointed to the library (quite a distance away) a surprising number of neighbourhood children were willing & eager to go as well. Later on we lived right across the street from the library!!!!

I like the ‘net for reading matter and I really do like the e-books, but most of all I like the smell and feel of a real, proper book … and if it’s mine, I also argue with the author or with whoever he/she quotes, by means of notes and references in the margins (which I find very palawarich in e-books, a ‘palawa’ being a huge ado). Here we drive to the library – not far, but too far to walk – but it’s worth it, for the library is well-stocked, with books and magazines and computers and friendly & helpful staff. And one can wander along & among the shelves to heart’s content.

He must have been critiquing liberal socialism when he wrote it.

Yes, Lewis is a remarkable,y interesting writer. There was a big discussion on “Merely Christianity” a coupleo f years ago on the net… forget where.

Very true, I find Levis a writer that is very capable of introducing thought provoking concepts in a method that is easy to comprehend, and interesting to follow the concept he is looking at.

He must have been. Have had a coupe of teachers that are that way, they know their subject so well, and were incredibly observant of their students. If someone was not getting it one way, they switched to another, until they got the material across. There are natural teachers. then tree are people like a good friend, who was teaching me some advanced math, very surprised we didn’t end up on the field of honour, with duelling slide rules.

Mine was a teacher, and actually quite a good one, but, for some reason could never get a few things through my thick skull. The feeling was mutual ,occasionally. Must look into “Shadowlands” as I am not familiar with it. …Just looked up “Shadowlands” the summary I read defines my worst nightmare… There are strong people…

“Bwa” sniff… it will be ok in a minute…

The world is full of remarkable coincidences. Generally, I don’t cry easily, but when I do, it is by the bucketful. The I get frustrated, which only makes it worse.

That would be good, if it worked, I get all emotional over things that I don’t see coming. Then I have to give myself a talking to for not paying attention.

Usually I can keep under control until by myself, then I wash paint off the walls. Sometime ago, I had to say goodby to someone who meant the world to me, but was driven by “wanderlust” I probably will never hear from or see them ever again, gave a ride to an international airport, then cried for 200 miles afterward, then intermittently for another 300. That is very hard on the system, hope not to ever have to go through that again, that is what happens when one allows emotions to rule.

IN that case, it took me a long time to get over it, eventually I got distracted, so to speak. But that isn’t what I really wanted, turned out to be good. It annoys me to no end to have to deal with “life happening while I am making other plans”. Disqus wins, I give up, every once in a while I restart my computer, it seems to be ok for a couple of hours per restart.

Maybe our tin ears will be turned to golden ones 🙂